Scripture Reading(s)
James 5:7-10
5:7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
5:8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
5:9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!
5:10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Reflections
Persecution was a real thing that Christians faced and still do today. This is a passage meant to encourage those who are facing persecution to stand firm and to not give up on the Gospel. The way to do that is to focus on the second coming of Christ. There is much hope when we choose to have a heavenly perspective rather then an earthly one. To those who were suffering major persecution, the hope that they had to cling to was that one day this would all end when Christ comes back to rule this earth again.
This hope was meant to give them strength not to give into fear but to rejoice in Christ’s faithfulness and one day freeing mankind from all sin. We too have this same hope and are also meant to rejoice in God’s future Grace for our lives. He has provided for us enough Grace each day to make it through difficult times, let us look up whenever we are tempted to give into fear and recall that the one we serve has not abandoned us and is with us wherever we go and will one day come back to take us to be with Him for all eternity.